The Letter from Hell
by StarryEyedReader
Summary: Severus Snape was enraged and devastated to receive a letter from his 13 year old self. But he is not the only one who is devastated by that letter. Inspired by the "A Letter From My Hogwarts Days challenge" by ReillyJade.
1. The Letter From Hell

This story was inspired by the "A Letter from My Hogwarts Days" Challenge though I didn't take the challenge. I just wanted to write one for Snape. I might be able to expand this out a bit…but I really doubt I would. Any ideas? Do you guys see a potential for a HP/SS non-slash thing?

Read and review please. Hope you enjoy.

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><p>Letter From Hell<p>

Professor Snape had been brewing wolfsbane for the past hour in his office, all the while cursing Dumbledore and Lupin under his breath. The only upside to his day would be the detention with Potter, but despite what the student body believed, they weren't exactly his favourite way of passing an evening. Still, after the Black fiasco, he preferred to keep an eye on the boy. He had, after all, promised to protect him, and he never broke a promise. That, however, did not mean Potter would get off easily.

He added powdered ivory to the potion and was about to lower the flame under it when an owl flew in from a trapdoor on the ceiling, and sat on the desk waiting.

He wiped his hands on a handkerchief and took the letter from the owl. He stared at the old yellowed parchment with the Hogwarts seal for some time, before opening it.

It took a minute for him to puzzle out the meaning of the address. He had forgotten writing this letter. It read:

Dear Severus of 1993,

This is probably the most inane thing we have done in this ridiculous class so far. I don't see why the stupid Muggle studies professor had to substitute for professor Slughorn for the entire three days of his leave. As you probably remember, he is ill. Third year potions are very useful, though not particularly difficult, and I don't appreciate the class being wasted so. Lily and I had decided to continue brewing the next potion, but no! They couldn't give us a substitute professor who could handle potions, or any incidents that might occur. As if anything was going to happen anyway…

Lily finds the idea of writing to her future self interesting, though. Well I suppose since I _am _writing, I might as well do it properly. They want us to remind our future selves of 20 years about our current life, interests, friends, enemies and so on. Well it's not like I could possible forget about the last two.

I hope you are still friends with Lily Evans. Actually to be entirely honest…I hope you are married to her and are now reading this together on a comfortable sofa in your home and probably laughing at me for not knowing that you are indeed married. Well I'm only thirteen, so there's no blame on me for not knowing!

And if you are not married to her, then I'm sure you are still best friends. She is the best person I've ever met: kind, intelligent and beautiful. She is perfect. I do wonder right now if she mentions me in her letter to her future self. I don't want to ask her though.

The next target won't take much long to write about. I really doubt if it's even worth it to waste ink on describing that arrogant, idiotic Potter as my arch enemy. He and his merry band of terrorists who strut up and down the place as if they own Hogwarts! If there's one person that Lily and I actually agree on hating, it's James Potter, who despite being her housemate has been in her bad books since the beginning. Serves him well. You just shouldn't get Lily crossed with you; that's a survival skill. But then again, bullies like Potter and Black don't really have any; they live on luck and adults like McGonagall and Dumbledore looking out for them.

Other than dealing with their ridiculous pranks and Dumbledore's disgusting favouritism, the life here is not really bad. It is much better than home anyway. I wonder now that you have graduated Hogwarts, where do you live? What do you do? Have you taken revenge on father yet for what he did this summer? You promised you would, that is, I promised and I never break a promise, so I'm sure you have, somehow.

I'm not really sure about my future. I still don't know what I want to do, but I suppose I still have two years to decide. I'm rather good in DADA and potions, but I don't fancy sitting in an apothecary or such shops all day nor in 's for that matter, that would be really boring; and God forbid I would ever share the ambition of becoming an auror with dunderheads like Potter and Black. I don't like the ministry all that much.

Lucius is really lucky to be so rich. He is graduating this year and he doesn't really have to worry about what he is going to do afterwards. He has enough money to sustain him and two generations after him. Are you still in contact with the Malfoys? They do make for useful connections, don't they? Lucius is about the only Slytherin 'friend' of mine of whom Lily doesn't disapprove, but that's probably because he deems it beneath him to 'prank' anyone.

I really don't want to imagine them encountering each other in person. Malfoy already pesters me about the inappropriateness of my friendship with someone of her blood. Loads of crap, if you ask me. Lily has got ten times as more power and wit as he will ever have. And he will offend her beyond forgiveness, and where would that leave me?

So I do hope that you have found out what to do after graduation before it was too late. There are rumors of a Dark Lord recruiting followers for some revolution. Putting muggles in their place and freeing wizards from the Statue of Secrecy, that sort of thing. That would some way of getting revenge on father, wouldn't you say? I suppose time will tell. I wish you could reply, so I would know what I'm getting myself into if I listen to Lucius.

Well, finally this class seems to be getting over. I hope you enjoy the rest of your life; since I'm not likely to enjoy Hogwarts much with Potter's gang here. Tomorrow Professor Slughorn will be back so you can be sure you will not receive another letter from me.

Severus Snape,

27 Jan 1973

PS. Do you know if Lily likes the perfume I brewed for her birthday? I'm really nervous about giving it to her.

He felt his throat constrict and his eyes burn. How he, too, yearned to be able to reply to that letter! To warn his younger self; prevent him from following the path he did.

He had expected to marry Lily. The image young Severus had drawn of him and Lily on a sofa in their home, as a happy married couple, burned his heart. He had learnt how hard it was to accept the futileness of the phrase "If only…" yet he couldn't help himself this time.

Damn that fool of a teacher for forcing them to do this! Damn his idiotic self for writing such nonsense! Damn Malfoy and Voldemort and Potter!

In a fit of rage, he crumbled the parchment and threw it towards the fire place, not caring if there was no fire to consume it, and swept out of the room. God help any student who crossed his path today!

He forgot all about Potter's detention.

SSSHHHHSSSSS

Harry Potter dragged his feet slowly towards the dungeons. How he hated that miserable bastard! He did not deserve this detention, but what is that to Snape? He just lives to make Harry miserable.

Reluctantly, he knocked on the door to the man's office and waited for the brusque reply.

No answer was given though.

Thinking he must be mad for doing so, he knocked again.

Again, there was only silence.

It wouldn't do for Snape to accuse him of not coming for detention later, just because he hadn't heard his knock or chose to answer or whatever other plot that twisted git had come up with.

He pushed open the door, disappointed that it wasn't locked. The feeling didn't last though, when he found the office completely empty.

"Professor Snape?" he called, looking around the room. There was a cauldron on the desk, boiling slowly on a small flame, but no trace of the brewer.

"Maybe it's my lucky day" he murmured, giving the neat room one last glance.

He was about to grab for the door handle when a small crumbled parchment by the fireplace caught his eye. He looked at it for a second, contemplating whether he was curious enough to know what the dour potions master had wanted to throw away, before he decided it couldn't hurt. It could be something to their advantage if Snape wanted to get rid of it.

So he grabbed the parchment, stuffed it into his robes pocket, and was out the room and the dungeons in a matter of seconds.

When he reached the Gryffindor common room, neither Ron nor Hermione were there. He didn't need to wonder where they were; in all probability Hermione had dragged Ron to the library to study together. He wasn't in mood to study just then, so he decided to wait for them here while he read through the parchment.

Ten minutes later, found a dumbstruck Harry Potter sitting on the sofa by the fire, thanking Merlin that he had read the letter-from-hell, as he had decided it was, alone first. His mind seemed frozen and unable to process any thought but that which said it was all a lie. It must be! Snape had decided to punish him by this letter rather than by detention. It was all a disgusting Slytherin scheme to make him suffer.

Yet deep down, he knew that Snape would never humiliate himself to punish him. There was just too much at stake when dealing with matters of the heart and the pride of a man, especially that of a very proud man like Severus Snape.

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><p>so how is it? review!<p> 


	2. Wistful

I'm such a sucker for reviews, I feel obligated to obey them ;) I hope you'll like this chapter. Next will probably have James'. Probably.

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><p><strong>Wistful<strong>

The entire country side of Godric's Hollow was covered in white and the sting of the wind spared no by-passer. A lone owl fluttered in the frozen blue sky, caught in the wind. It flew once over the graveyard and chose a tomb to land on. It waited and waited, choosing to humor its instincts, despite the foul weather.

It seemed hopeless, for no one came to receive the parchment tied to his talons. The graveyard was deserted

It flew around the place one last time, and took off again to the sky and the unforgiving wind, to return the letter.

Its journey was long and hard, but at long last he reached his mistress' home. He flew in through the window, and found his mistress in her study, writing at the desk. She noticed him as he sat by her hand and thrust the parchment out, as if in annoyance. It was not nice to prank an old owl in this weather, by writing to the dead.

The mistress looked at the parchment in surprise before her countenance descended into sadness.

"Oh. Of course!" she said softly. "The Potters couldn't receive their letters, could they?" she asked no one.

"Well, my old friend, you can rest a bit before taking this letter to Hogwarts. I suppose their son would like to read it."

The owl hooted angrily, snatched the parchment from her hand, and took off again.

STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR STAR

There was only one person who could answer his question, but not now, not today. He needed time to think.

Harry shuffled to his bed, though it was hardly an hour after sunset, he did not think he had energy left for anything but to think. He was not tired, by any means, physically, but it was too cold outside and he wanted to be alone.

He sat in bed and reread Snape's letter again, and still puzzle at what it implied. Severus Snape had a crush on his mother! Well that simplified things. That was probably why he hated his dad so much; he had won Lily!

'And I?' he thought 'I am the reminder of that.'

He sat silently in thought before bursting out "begrudging GIT! All this torment in class, just because he couldn't get over the fact that my mum preferred my dad to him!"

Just at that moment he heard a knock on the window and looked to see a small brown owl perching on the windowsill. He hoped off the bed and let the poor thing in. The owl nestled in his hands and he could feel that his wings were nearly frozen.

"Sometimes I think they should ban sending owls out in winter" he said "is that for me?"

He took the envelope from the owl, putting him down near the fireplace and gave him a treat.

There were three pieces of parchment in the envelope two tattered and old and one comparatively newer, he unrolled the latter.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_About 20 years ago, when your parents were in my class, they were assigned to write a letter to their future self. I thought you might like to receive these letters in their stead._

_I offer my most sincere condolences for what befell them. They were a brave and talented couple._

_Yours,_

_Margaret Kentworthy _

So it must have been real. Snape hadn't made it up to torture Harry. He had a lot of questions that needed to be answered. Was Snape right? Was he his mother's best friend? Had his mum hated his dad? How had the ended up married then? Had Snape joined Voldemort?

He felt a wave of excitement as he unrolled the second parchment, and looked at its bottom to see whose it was. _Lily Evans, 27 Jan 1973._

He felt the parchment with his fingers, imagining it in his mother's hands, her handwriting…

His eyes swam for a minute before they refocused on the letter, and stated to read.

_Dear future self,_

_I hope my letter finds you well and happy, and that you are successful in your job, whatever that might be. I can't really wait to reach your age and read this letter. It must be exciting, like time travel! The Professor has promised to send our letters out in 20 years! Of course I understand that that might not really happen, but I suspect that you could give it to the owls and tell them when to deliver it. They are incredibly intelligent birds, after all._

_I am faring well, though it's been a bit of a tough competition for the highest marks in charms with Catharina Derstenge in Ravenclaw, and Professor Flitwick is giving prizes…but I do suppose you are past all these school competitions and won't be interested much in my scholastic worries. _

_Really, to be fair, you should be the one sending me a letter, seeing as you probably know everything I tell you. And you can't possibly have forgotten your friends from school. What you might have forgotten is probably how you felt and thought when you were me, since those are what really changes in people, and makes them different. Your opinion must have changed a lot about a lot of people. I think that's the point of this letter really. To remind you of those you used to know, for surely even they have changed as much as you must have._

_Well then, I should probably start re-introducing you to my best friend, Severus. He is a bit shy and sometimes even distant, I think it's mostly because he feels insecure; as if he expects to be abandoned if he makes a wrong move. He always thinks on what he wants to say and always searches my face for my reaction when he doesn't contemplate the consequences of saying a thought aloud, perhaps out of experience, for he can be rather tactless sometimes. It can get very frustrating, but one can see beneath all these, he has a kind, gentle and vulnerable heart. He is loyal and helpful, and I don't know what I would have done the first two years at Hogwarts without him._

_But despite all these, sometimes he frightens me by a complete lack of compassion towards others. It's as if in his world, only a few people deserve his esteem and the rest can go to hell. I know that's harsh but…it's what I see when I see him watching others; as if he is just watching a colony of ants, or at the very most, ghosts from another planet. I wonder if he has grown out of all that in your time. _

_He is a genius though! He likes brewing just as much as I do, if not more, and makes some really clever modifications to the text book's instructions. It's always fun to study with him, he makes everything interesting._

_I just looked at him, and he was scowling still at the Professor. He really doesn't see the point in writing this when we could brew. Oh well, that's just Sev._

_I have other friends too, though I don't spend as much time with them. Mary is a kind quiet girl who is always ready to listen to anyone who has a problem. She is the very opposite of Alice who is lively and loud and sometimes plain…ferocious! I might enjoy my time with Sev but…only girls really understand girls. Well, except for Tuney. She has been nasty ever since I came to Hogwarts, and still taunts Severus and me every time he comes over, when mum isn't there. I hope she is nicer in the future, because I really can't live with her during summers now!_

_Anyway, We do all sorts of things in the dorm on weekend nights when we stay up late into the night. Well usually we talk, but last week Mary and I were teaching Alice and the other girls about Muggle makeup. That was fun. I'm sure you have better things to do together when you are an adult, but I do hope you haven't fallen out. It seems really common in girls in higher years to argue and never talk again…and over such silly things like name-calling! I think I'm above such things, and I hope you haven't changed in that aspect._

_Well anyway…another topic I could share is probably my interests. I love music. To me music is the magic I get to use even outside of Hogwarts. I wonder if you still have the same tastes as I. Do you still cry to the last scene of Marriage of Figaro? Or have you watched it so many times, you have become immune to it?_

_I always wanted to learn a musical instrument (you obviously know that). But there's hardly any time and I suppose thirteen is too late anyway. Perhaps as an adult you have more time, what with there being no surprise tests and exams. Or Slughorn bugging me about being in the wrong house every chance he gets! Infuriating old man! I was just reminded of this conversation I was having with Sarah Banks about music being the one common thing between muggles and wizards, when he interrupted us, and talked nonsense until we lost hope of continuing our own conversation. He is a good teacher though, so I have to show that I respect him._

_Oh my! Severus is actually writing the letter too! So he probably doesn't think it's as pointless as he pretends he thinks._

_Back to what I was saying…talking of people I dislike…I really hate arrogant bullies. Most Slytherins are arrogant, with Sev having the mildest case, but none of their heads needs as much deflating as James Potter, unfortunately a fellow Gryffindor. I can see him now from where I sit, trying to catch my eye. One would think that if he really is interested in me like Alice says, then he would stop pestering my friends!_

_Enough of that now. I think I've talked of my school life long enough. But there doesn't seem to be much hope for us beyond school. Most kids look forward to graduation, but with the impending war with the evil guy who is emerging, more and more powerful everyday, it seems unlikely that a very bright future awaits us. Oh well. As long as we have the headmaster; we will fight till death or freedom! (I can imagine Sev's face at that comment. He would scowl until his lips hurt!)_

_I won't take much more of your time; this has gone on long enough. I wish us both good luck._

_Lily Evans_

_27 Jan 1973_

_PS. It just occurred to me that you are actually 33! Are you married? Do you have any children? Oh dear…_

Harry stared. It was not very easy to imagine his mother as a teenager, playing dress up late at night with friends, or Snape "going over" to her house, or her hating his dad. She said he was a bully…was he really? He couldn't have possibly been like Dudley…could he?

She had liked music… Had she learnt an instrument later in life? There was _so much_ he didn't know about her!

He almost dreaded opening his dad's letter. He definitely had to pay a visit to Professor Lupin.

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><p>review please!<p> 


	3. Marauders

Sorry this chapter is a few hundred words shorter than the others. Hope I didn't mess up James too much.

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><p><strong>Marauders<strong>

_Hail the adult James!_

_If you are indeed an adult, you better not be a safety-obsessed, law-abiding, stuck up loser or I will be very disappointed in you indeed! Actually, the very idea of me being an adult is…unpleasant. I take your existence as a personal insult unless you are still a pranking expert, a terrifying enemy (Snape should know, ha!) and the hilarious joker that I am. _

_And of course, my respects to your honorable accomplices, the Marauders. I'm sure your pack is still intact. Sirius here tells me to send his 'regards' to his own future self since he is too bored to write a letter himself. He is currently testing the Muggle Studies Professor for 'cheek-tolerability' and I must say she has survived so far. _

_I don't know what about "my young Hogwarts years", as the Professor puts it, might fascinate you. The only things here that do fascinate me are our secret animagus training sessions…You must be able to turn into an animal now! I won't bother wondering what the animal is though; I will probably find out soon enough. The idea of all the fun I will have on full moons along with Remus, Sirius and Peter! You probably think of those days with nostalgia, I bet!_

_But then again, you probably have a super awesome job as an auror, and no exams to bother with to boot!_

_Though, the sad part of adult life is that…are you married? I can only think of one person actually worth the thought and sadly she is currently sitting next to the greasy Snivellus on the other side of the room. Though I'm not quite sure if marriage is such a good idea, she is currently glaring at me. It's not my fault if her slimy Slytherin friend ruins the scenery!_

_I do hope that you still play Quiditch, or else what's the point of life? I'm not sure which one is a better career, an auror or a seeker? I guess they need an auror more, what with Old Voldy gaining power. We might even get to prank a dark lord! That must be much cooler than pranking boring school teachers. Ok so Dumbledore isn't really boring; to be fair he was a good sport about it. _

_I don't think I have much more to say. Remus seems to be writing an essay! Though I think I prefer to compare my letter with Sirius' blank page. The only people who can actually force him into submission are Dumbledore and McGonagall. Maybe he is still afraid he'll be resorted? As if!_

_James Potter the Great_

_January 27, 1973_

Harry smiled despite himself. So maybe his father was really as arrogant as his mother had described. A pranking expert, was he?

Wait a second! The Marauders! The Marauders' Map!

Fred and George absolutely had to hear this.

Harry got up from the bed, where he was lying, and got the map.

"I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good" he said, pointing his wand at the map.

As the lines formed, the green letters at the top of the map appeared. "Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs…" The Marauders then must be James, Lupin, Black and Peter Pettigrew! He didn't know which was which but he could definitely ask Lupin then! They had become animagi! His dad was an animagus!

The realization suddenly hit him. If their 'training sessions' were secret…did anyone know that Sirius Black was an animagus? Lupin might know; he was with them. Or perhaps they never succeeded?

His mind turned to Dumbledore and Snape's conversation, the night they had slept in the Great Hall. What about what Snape had implied? That someone helped Black from inside Hogwarts? If Lupin were friends with Black…then…

He shook his head. So what if they were friends once? His own father was his best friend! Black had betrayed all of them. It's not like Snape's own loyalties were very clear. He had contemplated joining Voldemort!

His thoughts were interrupted as Ron came into the room.

"Harry, mate, you alright? How did detention with Snape go?"

"I didn't go."

"What?" Ron stared at him, as if in awe of his insanity.

"I went, but he wasn't there, so I came back up." He explained.

"Snape never misses detentions. He is going to get you."

"Well it's not my fault; I knocked three times _and_ I also went inside and checked. He really wasn't there and I'm not dumb enough to go looking for him."

"Well maybe you got lucky or something. Have you had dinner? I'm starving! Hermione worked me to bits!"

"I'm not hungry. You guys go and eat."

"Sure? Alright, then."

When Ron was gone, Harry went back to staring at the map: the ingenius work of his own father with his friends! He watched Ron's dot join Hermione's and go towards the Great Hall, He watched Lupin's dot walking around in his office, and there was Snape's, moving towards him. Snape hated Lupin and that was obvious to everyone, so why would he pay him a visit?

Probably some teacher thing…

He was about to fold the map and hide its contents when his own name caught his attention. His name was not alone in the dormitory on the map, even though he saw no one in the brightly lit room. Harry's breath caught. How could this be?

The dot only a few steps away from him read: _Peter Pettigrew. _

Just then another owl came in.

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><p>Review please!<p> 


	4. One Letter Missing

I would have updated sooner but I was busy painting my room. It was meant to be green in the honor of our favourite Slytherin head of house, but somehow it turned out more turquoise. My advice to everyone else, get someone to paint for you. It's exhausting! Hopefully next chapter will be the encounter with Lupin. Also thanks for the reviews. Jordina, I might just use your idea. ;)

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><p><strong>One Letter Missing<strong>

Harry looked curiously at the owl that had landed on Ron's bed, before turning back to stare at the map.

Well this was ridiculous; according to the map a dead man had just ran to him and stood precisely by his side. Harry stuck out his hand and waved it around him, not really expecting to bump into any invisible being.

He was disappointed to realise that the map he had relied on using for a great many situations that were sure to arise, not to mention adventures and rule-breaking, was so obviously faulty. He was just pondering the loss when the flapping of wings and the hooting of the owl brought it to his attention that not only had the bird not left, but was currently chasing Scabbers around the room, the letter still attached to his limb.

Well Ron would certainly kill him if he found out that Harry had done nothing to save the lazy rat from painful death, so he went to his rescue.

After a slightly painful struggle with the owl who was intent on getting inside his pocket, where Scabbers had sought refuge, he finally immobilized the troublesome thing and snatched the parchment from it, swearing under his breath.

He threw the letter on Ron's bed side table, took the owl to the window and released it from the spell only a moment before throwing him out the window. He then took out the frail shivering rat from his pocket and put it down.

"It's gone. You are safe" but the rat continued to tremble.

Harry sighed and decided to read a bit to pass the time before bed, but could not concentrate on anything. His thoughts were far away.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

"Harry you are being awfully quiet, is everything alright?" asked Hermione the next morning at breakfast.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking about…you know…Sirius Black."

"Harry, please tell me you have given up the crazy idea of…."

"Yes Hermione!" He interrupted her vehemently "I'm not going to look for him. It's about something else. Something to do with…" he contemplated for a second; should he tell them?

"You know the map Fred and George gave me, yeah? The Marauders map?"

"yeah. But you said Professor Lupin took…"

"Let me finish, will you? Do you know you who the Marauders are?"

"Padfoot, Moony, Wormtail and Prongs?" Ron said uncertainly.

"They are Sirius Black," Hermione gasped but he continued on "Professor Lupin, Peter Pettigrew and my dad." He finished.

"Are you sure? How do you know?"

"I… received a letter…from my dad."

Hermione gave him a worried, almost pitying look and Ron said "Mate, how can you receive a letter from your dad when he is…"

"Dead, I know. It's not like that. When they were students here, apparently a teacher asked them to write a letter to their future selves and she would send them out in 20 years. Well, she thought I might want to receive them instead."

"oh."

"So what now?"

"Nothing; Guess I'm just going to ask Lupin about it."

At that moment a small Huflepuff boy approached them, "Harry Potter?"

"yeah?"

"Professor Snape said to tell you that 'you better be there for detention today or he'll make it a double.'"

"Right; thanks" Harry said darkly. The boy gave him an apologetic look and went.

"As if you were the one who wasn't there yesterday" Ron mumbled.

Classes went by fast that day, and all too soon afternoon arrived. The last thing Harry wanted was to spend time in the same room with Snape. Not that it was ever pleasant before but after reading his letter, well it was downright weird.

As he walked towards the dungeons, he wondered what had caused Snape to miss the detention yesterday. Could he have just forgotten? As if Snape would forget…

"Enter, Mr. Potter" came the potion's professor's deep voice. He hadn't realised he had knocked.

Snape was sitting at his desk with a pile of parchments in front of him.

"You shall be picking out the newt's eyes and separate them from the frog's eyes" he said maliciously without looking up, pointing towards a desk on which there seemed to be a pile of slime with red and yellow eye balls in it. Harry grimaced. "and once you are done, you shall clean the desk."

"Yes sir" He replied through gritted teeth, but did not move towards the desk.

"Today, Mr. Potter!" Snape snapped. He reluctantly walked over to the desk, and as he moved he became more and more aware of the disgusting stench surrounding it. He screwed up his face and reached for his bag to get out his gloves when

"There is no need to use gloves. They are completely harmless to the skin, I assure you." Snape said nastily.

Harry looked at him with loathing, barely restraining himself from saying something that would put him into more trouble. I can't believe my mum was ever friends with that git, he thought. And he hoped to marry her! He shuddered, but then smirked. Serves him well! I hope my mum put him in his place.

As he worked his way slowly yet furiously through the eyes, Snape sat down in contemplation. He couldn't remember exactly what he had done with that letter in his anger, except throw it at the fire place. Perhaps it had burnt…; it couldn't just disappear. He reached for the 5th year essays that he had to correct and chanced a look at Potter. For some reason, the boy had a pleased look plastered on his face. It made him look uncannily like James Potter after a particularly nasty ambush and attack.

Snape scowled silently and looked away. Whatever went on in the brat's head, it did not bode well. He had to find out what he was up to.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Margaret Kentworthy was puzzled. After she had so thoughtlessly sent out all the letters from former students in her possession, she had begun to receive many of them back one after another. It was sad to realise just how many had lost their lives during the past 20 years. She remembered having given this assignment to almost all years; even first years. They must have been so young.

She had addressed many that she had got back to the closest family members.

Yet there was one that she was sure she should have received and had not. It would never have occurred to her, she would hardly even have remembered, had it not been for the presence of those ghastly Dementors everywhere, reminding people of who exactly was on the loose. She remembered Sirius Black in her class. He was an insufferable, rude and spoilt brat who delighted in testing her patience. She knew he was out there somewhere, and had probably received his letter, if he had written one. He was never one to do what he was told.

But mention of Sirius Black brought to mind the memory of another brave young man, one who tried to stand up to him and avenge his betrayed friends, and lost his life for it.

She wondered why his letter had not come back yet.

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